HAPPY EASTER!

I hope you are having a lovely Easter Weekend, it is one of my favourite times of the year, somehow it always feels more restful than other times and more peaceful, so whatever your plans, enjoy!

Reminder

Don’t forget my ‘in person’ coffee morning taking place on:

• Saturday 23 April
• Quorn Village Hall
• 10-11.30am

There will be cake, coffee, teas, light refreshments. This is an informal morning for you to come along and catch up with people outside of a Pilates class. I will also be making a contribution to the Marie Curie foundation.

I have invited Jan-Marie Bisiker who is a Kinesiologist to come along.   

The coffee morning will be your chance to find out more about this kind of therapy. Follow the links here to follow Jan-Marie, on LinkedIn here, and on Facebook here.

As I am providing refreshments please let me know if you will be attending — it would be lovely to see you.

Beginners Course

My online Live Beginners Guide to Pilates course is now fully booked! Looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday in the first live session, thank you to everyone who has signed up to this course.

If you have missed out on my Live Beginners Course this time, don’t worry — I will be repeating this course later in the year. In the meantime you can obtain my Absolute Beginners Course online programme comprising six recorded sessions progressing you from the foundations and basics through to a flowing Pilates exercise programme. There is a training manual to accompany these 6 sessions, and this prepares you to go into a regular class. Here is the link to buy the Absolute Beginners Course.

This week’s routine is to show a standing pelvic tilt to begin to move the lumbar spine, but also a hip glide which is aimed at realigning your pelvis with your spine.

The hip glide particularly looks at the Quadratus Lumborum muscles which can get tight and stuck and inhibit your mobility.

As with all my Exercises Of The Week, I stress that you should work at a level which is appropriate for your body, keep away from pain!

Calm for me is less about thought and much more about feeling. It’s a magic alchemy that might last a second, or a whole day, where I feel relaxed yet aware; still yet dynamic; open yet protected…

Fearne Cotton

What does ‘calm’ mean for you?

For me, calm is...

• My son being OK on this day, here and now
• Keith feeling well
• Thinking about my granddaughter’s smile
• Feeling healthy when I wake in the morning
• The peace and quiet early in the morning
• Reading a book
• Playing my piano
• Catching up with my sister and hearing she is feeling good
• An early night
• Sharing my worries and listening to advice from my best friend
• Baking
• Knitting
• Walking in my local woods
• Practising my Pilates
• Hearing the sea and the lovely fresh smell — need to plan this in more
• A cup of Calm tea with a touch of honey
• Sitting cozily and watching an old black and white film
• Visiting the memorial gardens in Quorn and sitting on my Mum and Dad's bench

If you are feeling stressed or feeling a level of overwhelm and anxiety, it helps to find moments of calm in our lives. This can seem impossible at times, but sit yourself down and start to make a list of all the things that make you feel calm. Keep this list, remind yourself and actively do something to find your calm.

Have a lovely weekend, and may you have moments of calm to experience and enjoy.